Christmas starts right here!

The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world's busy life and become more interested in people than in things.

Thomas S. Monson

If you’re one of those people who are all Bah Humbug about Christmas may I politely suggest you go and read another blog for the next few weeks! Thing is I LOVE Christmas, love it!! It’s one of my favourite times of the year and I try and squeeze every bit of joy out of it, I love writing cards, I love going to buy this years new bauble for my eclectic topsy turvy tree, I love the music, (Fa la la la, la la la la la!!), I love the smiles on people’s faces, I love getting wrapped up to go into town, I love the lights I love it all!

One of the things I love most however, is the food and today marks the start, (I’m actually a little late this year!!), of my contribution to the festive faire – it’s Christmas Cake Day!

Traditionalists will tell you that you HAVE to make your cake at least a hundred months before you actually cut into it, frankly I can’t be arsed, I don’t have the inclination when it’s that far out! For me the act of making the cake is the start of Christmas so, bring it on!

There are loads of great cake recipes out there and I’ve tried loads of them however, my absolute favourite and the one that goes down VERY well with friends and family is Nigella’s Traditional Christmas Cake. It’s delicious, a fantastically decadent mix of dried fruit, ground almonds, delicious chopped pecans and a good splash of bourbon, yes, that’s bourbon, not Brandy! Nigella suggests making it up to six weeks in advance however, my personal view is that after three to four weeks, it’s perfect!

It’s in the book, “Nigella Christmas” however, it’s been widely shared with her blessing across the interwebs, my time to share!

Nigella introduces the recipe thus;

“Grateful though I am to Hazel Hook for giving me her foundation-stone recipe for a traditional Christmas cake, with its all-important table for weights, measures and tin sizes, so many Christmasses ago, I have departed somewhat from her strictures. To be honest, I don’t always get it together to make a traditional Christmas cake (which needs a bit of time to stand and mellow to be as good as it can be) so I tend to rustle up either the Incredibly Easy Chocolate or Gorgeously Golden Fruit Cake (or both) at the last minute.

But a traditionally iced and comfortingly decorative Christmas cake is a lovely thing, and if efficiency allows, should be embraced. This version builds on the Time-Honoured Christmas Cake of earlier books, but cuts down on varieties of dried fruits, augments alcohol (bourbon for preference, but brandy or sherry will also do), and adds ground almonds and chopped pecans. It bakes well, and can be iced beautifully, and is a satisfying way to get Christmas really going in the kitchen.

Make the cake up to 6 weeks ahead and wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and then a double layer of foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. (You could add a bit more bourbon or brandy over this storage time to feed the cake and keep it moist.)

To freeze, make the cake and wrap as above. Freeze for up to 1 year. To thaw, unwrap the cake and thaw overnight at room temperature. Rewrap and store as above until needed.”

Ingredients

700g raisins

300g currants

100g glacé cherries

150g chopped pecans (or walnuts)

400ml bourbon (or brandy)

300g butter

180g dark brown sugar

2 tsp lemon zest, grated

4 large eggs

2 tbsp black treacle or molasses

1 tsp almond essence

300g plain flour

150g ground almonds

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

You will need a 23cm by 20cm tin for this cake, either round or square.

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients:

Place all the dried fruit in a saucepan, and add the bourbon or brandy. Bring to the boil, then take it off the heat, covering once cooled, and let it steep overnight, covered. And make sure you take your eggs and butter out of the fridge so that they will be at room temperature for the making of the cake tomorrow.

To prepare your tin:

Line the sides and bottom of a deep, round, loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper or baking parchment. The paper should come up a good 10cm higher than the sides of the tin; think of a lining that’s about twice as deep as the tin. Cut out 2 circles of paper, and 2 very long rectangles that will fit along the sides of the tin and rise up above it like a top hat. Before you put the 2 rectangular pieces in the tin, fold one long side of each piece in towards the centre by account 2cm, as if turning up a hem, then take some scissors and snip into this hem, at approx. 2cm intervals, as if making a rough frill.

Grease the tin, lay one paper circle on the bottom and get one of your long pieces and fit it down one side, with the frilly edge along the bottom, then press down that edge so it sits flat on the circle and holds it in place. Press the paper well into the sides, and repeat with the second rectangular piece. Now place the second circle on top of the 2 pressed-down frilly edges, to help hold the pieces around the edge in place.

To make the cake:

Preheat your oven to 150C/gas mark 2, and prepare your tin (see above). Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the grated lemon zest.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the black treacle and almond extract.

Sift the dry ingredients together, then mix the soaked fruit alternately with the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, combining thoroughly. Fold in the chopped pecans.

Put the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven, for between 2 ¾ - 3 ¼ hours, or until a cake-tester or skewer inserted into the cake comes out cleanish.

When the cake is cooked, brush with a couple of extra tablespoons of bourbon or brandy or other liqueur of your choice. Wrap immediately in its tin – using a double-thickness of tin foil – as this will trap the heat and form steam, which in turn will keep the cake soft on top.

When it’s completely cold, remove the cake from the tin and rewrap in foil, storing, preferably in an airtight tin or Tupperware, for at least 3 weeks to improve the flavour.

That’s it really, simples!

What’s on today?

Head, Eyes & Teeth – Catwa Head, Rigged Eyes and teeth - Catya v3.2

Hair – Navy+Copper - Americano

Skin – [theSkinnery] Amber (Catwa Applier) sorbet

Body, Hands & Feet – Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V4.0

Physics – Temptation – 5.5 BONUS C+ D+ SuperTease - Physics

AO – VISTA ANIMATIONS *HUD 5.33*ZOE FULL BENTO-V1 NOFACE

Shape – [Elle et Lui Style] Tiffany Shape, Catwa Bento Head Catya - Maitreya Body

Nose Piercing – ^^Swallow^^ Princess Piercing Nose 01

Tattoo – [CAROL G] Nomadic Owl - Black

Earings – (Yummy) Ornate Christmas Ball Earring @ this round of Uber